Untangling Me: The Podcast

We had a ball "Untangling the Stuff" with founder of Abundance Organizing, Mindy Godding this week and just know you're going to love her too! Mindy is a 22 year veteran of professional organizing and in this episode she takes on all the crazy questions and scenarios Tracey and Colleen throw at her about the messiness of midlife. She shares her years of experience and we have no doubt you will enjoy her many stories, professional wisdom, and fabulous laugh as much as we did! 

Some resources for you and ways to find the fabulous Mindy:

Colleen and Tracey spend this episode chatting about untangling the mess that’s caused by self-care, specifically how women caring for themselves impacts those around them. In a loose three-episode series (ep 28, 29, and 30), we discuss the little time women have during this season, the complications of  taking time for yourself, the ripples that come with women’s evolving personal development journeys. All of these factors combine to have major impacts on our overall day to day life. Come along for the conversation! 

Do you ever struggle to find space for YOU in all the chaos of your own life? On this week's episode Colleen and Tracey dig into their own experience of "personal development" and how, over time, they have figured out ways to insert some healthy self care into the nooks and crannies of a busy life. Manicures and massages are incredible, but what are you doing each day to really take care of yourself, grow and deepen your own personal wellness, and take space to become who you want to be in this phase of life? 

Don't be mistaken, just because you aren't sending a little one off to kindergarten doesn't mean the end of summer isn't still "Back to School Season." Once your life is divided into school calendars and semesters, it's hard to break the pattern! The rhythm that comes with going 'back to school' reminds us of all the ways families change, children launch, and new transitions occur. Come along side Colleen and Tracey as we explore what this time of year brings up for us, and join the conversation by sharing your thoughts wherever you catch your podcasts or via email at [email protected]

We've talked about Mental Load and the huge toll it takes on many women (Tracey and Colleen included!) but in this episode we talk about a possible counterpoint to mental load...provider anxiety. We break down some of the challenges we see in our own lives related to juggling which roles partners take, how burdens are shared, and the communication necessary when both partners want to be supportive but the tasks feels overwhelming. Join us as we share stories and get real about the challenges of balancing the two sides of the same coin: provider anxiety and mental load.

Today we're untangling - of all things - our hair! - well, all of the conversation around it actually...Should older women only wear certain styles? How do we feel about going gray? Are bangs back (and do we even care)?! Is midlife the perfect time for a big "transition" chop? We decided to have a fun and light conversation about Tracey's new haircut and found ourselves digging into stereotypes, "shoulds," and the inevitable conversation about the challenges women face around caring for themselves and living outside of the expectations the world places on them. 

In this episode we focus more on the idea of women in community and have a fantastic conversation with Erin Frye Provencher centering on her lifelong experience with building community and specifically the grassroots organization Gals for a Cause RVA that she started back in 2018. She's an artist, an advocate, and an activist (and a brand new mom!) and we were thrilled to have her as our guest this week. Please give a special UM welcome to Erin and click the links below to explore some of the organizations, concepts, and women who we chat about.

Where can you find out more about all the incredible organizations and women we mentioned in this episode??

Gals for a Cause RVA

Kiesha's Amazon Wish List

Glennon Doyle - Horseshoes Concept

Share the Mic Now National Campaign

RVA Mic Share

Commonwealth Catholic Charities

Even with involved partners and intentional steps towards equity, the best relationships feel one-sided sometimes in terms of physical, emotional, and mental attention families need. Join us as we continue our conversation about the challenges women face with the concept of "second shift" and unbalanced mental load in their day to day lives. We'll share some resources we've found and our own experiences over 25+ years of marriage and 20+ years of parenting. 

Episode Resources

Drained: Reduce Your Mental Load to Do Less and Be More by Leah Ruppanner PhD (Tracey's rec and current read)

IG: @beahappierparent

What’s on Her Mind: The Mental Workload of Family Life by Allison Daminger (from IG post)

UPDATE: Episode re-uploaded on 7/19/26 after technical issues cut off the end of the previous version.

Whew! This is a tough one. Tune in and join the conversation as Tracey and Colleen open some listener mail and give their thoughts on an important question for so many women: how do I ask for help? Strong, capable, dependable...these are how often women describe themselves and because of that, we hesitate to ask for help. Today, we're talking about why we feel that way and how to get past it.

Today's episode finds Tracey and Colleen exploring the big midlife question of "What's Next?" Career trajectories and parenting took center stage for a long time and now we're wondering...how can we address the knots that have formed over the years, untangle the life we put on pause, and rediscover where we are heading next.